Hair cutting scissors, also known as barber scissors, hair cutting shears, or barber shears, are scissors which have been custom-designed for cutting hair. It is critical to use hair cutting scissors for haircuts to ensure an optimal outcome, and to promote hair health. Stylists and barbers typically personally maintain their scissors and other haircutting equipment, rather than relying on a pool of tools which is open to the entire salon, and some people grow extremely attached and protective of their scissors.

The key characteristic of hair cutting scissors is their sharpness and their ability to be regularly sharpened. Scissors for cutting hair need to be razor sharp to ensure that the hair is cleanly cut, rather than being compressed or mangled. Clean cuts keep the ends of the hair neat and tidy, and they reduce the incidence of split ends, which is important for people who want to grow their hair out.

Hair cutting scissors may have blunt ends so that they can be used close to the skull without the risk of damage, or sharp ones, to make it easier to make clean, straight cuts. Some are curved, for specific styles of cuts, while others are straight, and both left and right handed versions are available. Buying scissors engineered for the correct dominant hand is critical, as using the wrong scissors can result in a loss of control, and an uneven or ragged hair cut.

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Between uses, hair cutting scissors are usually wiped down and sterilized so that they do not spread germs or disease between customers. The scissors are also sharpened regularly with the use of a whetstone or a professional sharpening service. To protect the blades, barber scissors are usually kept in a lined case, so that the blades cannot become chipped or dulled. This also ensures that people do not accidentally injure themselves on the scissors.

One of the best resources for hair cutting scissors is a supply catalog which caters to hair dressers, or a store which sells salon supplies. Some of these companies will only sell directly to licensed hair dressers, but others are happy to sell their products to the general public. At home, these scissors can be used to touch up and maintain a cut, extending the length of time between appointments, and they can also be used for doing haircuts at home. It can also help to maintain a set of clippers for shorter hair cuts.

Discuss this Article

anon995911Post 6

I personally love my Saki.

mitchell14Post 3

I personally think if you are going to cut your own hair, you need a pair of good hair cutting scissors. They are often sharper than regular scissors, and some are much more durable, which is important if you trim your hair every few weeks, as many stylists recommend.

hyrax53Post 2

@afterall- I also trim my own hair. While I don't have professional hair cutting scissors, something I do think are really great for hair cutting are thinning scissors. I have really thick, curly hair, and thinning scissors can help to shape my hair better underneath. You can get them at many beauty supply and even some drug stores, and I think they're worth it.

afterallPost 1

I no longer get my hair cut professionally, instead I do the trimming myself. It's faster and easier, and I can feel in control of the outcome. I don't have a special pair of hair cut scissors, but I do sterilize them before and after I cut my hair, to make sure I don't get any weird germs anywhere if I use those scissors for something else later.

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